peakbaggers: please don't flag...it's trash

I hiked a trailless peak Sunday to enjoy some moose habitat. I intended to explore the magic zone of ~2900', on the west and south sides of this mountain, which is in the Dry River Wilderness...

pretty turtle heads everywhere...






beautiful glades of birch, with ferns and hobblebush and striped maple and raspberries make up the understory...






tons of moose sign of varying age...






beautiful glades...heavily moose-browsed hobblebush...distant mountains...






beautiful golden grasses of late summer in the White Mountains...






it was so enjoyable to explore this nice area, so heavy with moose sign such as this major moose trail, on such a pretty summer day...






Then I bumped into a trail of hot pink trash.



This sucks on several levels:

It's trash. It's trash even in if it wasn't in designated wilderness, but it was.

If a peakbagger can find the stupid peak without a trail, can't they find their way back without flagging? Why not take it down on the way out?

Are they ignorant enough to leave it as a favor for the rest of the peakbaggers? Do they think that's neccessary or desired?

Do peakbaggers want to follow a nasty hot pink flag trail or does this offend you as it does me?

Whoever did it sucks at walking through the woods, IMO. They went through ridiculous walls of thick spruce when several times they could have gone to the side just a little and gone around some horrendous stuff. I scatched my leg going though it in my effort to remove the nasty trash.

I removed about a half mile of it before I could no longer stand to have my hike ruined by following a line of trash through the beautiful forest. I had to return to my special zone. I found a major moose trail and took it.






here's an actual junction of two heavy moose trails...so pretty...




Later, I made my way back to the nasty trash-trail and removed another half mile of it (guess) to the trail. Some of the time the flagger made such idiotic decisions that I just left the trash-trail and went around walls spruce because easier routes around were so obvious, then I came back to it and removed what I could/would.

I believe this was an utter beginner. The idiotic route decisions, and the flagging in Wilderness make me think it was a novice who needs educating.

First, it's illegal to do this in Wilderness.

Second, it's nasty trash, no matter if humans have labelled it Wilderness, National Forest, State Forest, Natural Area, FPA, or anything else.

Third, it robs all others of the joy of finding their own way. Many people enjoy doing this. There are plenty of peaks with marked trails. Please leave the trailless areas just that way so we can enjoy them.

Thank You.

happy trails

"Bushwhackers" using flagging, IMHO, are not bushwhackers. That is just silly and uncalled for.

However.....

Even though you said it was in a Wilderness zone I would not necessarily point the finger at a peakbagger just yet. In my time off trail I have seen flagging up for any and all kinds of purpose. Sure there is situations I have come across where the only answer would be a "peakbagger". But I have seen flagging up that indicated that people have used flagging (legitimately) for:

Timber crusing/cutting
Appalachian Trail boundary marking
Marking a forest boundary (in this particular case it was marking the boundary of the Nash Stream Forest's Western edge)

So not knowing exactly the situation in which you found the flagging I won't say for sure that it was a peakbagger. As you said it was inside a wilderness zone so the above excuses would not be vaild, however there could still be any kind of possible excuse. Not that I am saying it WASN'T, just that there could be a different reason. It could also have been a hunter or fisherman...like I said, not going to just yet jump to the conclusion it was "one of us" (so to speak).

Brian

Hey Brian, It started at a trail and ran directly to a list peak, where it ended...

here's where the canister was...not there anymore ( i did not remove it)






definately, the trail's intent was to lead to the peak...it is what it is...

They should upgrade from flagging to GPS technology and from that platform bound upwards to the highest level of all.

Great pics, as always.

Heh heh, can't argue with that evidence, can we! Wascally peakbaggers.

Brian

Good of you to harvest the litter.
If that was So. Engine Hill, the flagging wasn't there for long.

Yeah, what Forestgnome said....

Flagging routes is really weak.

Reminds me of a similar fitful day I had back in '05 with Papa Bear. This is one bushwhack's worth.



Flaggers have no soul. There, I said it.

Aside from the litter, looks like a great time exploring some moose grounds. I've yet to see an antler out there, or even a moose in the Whites yet. Can't wait until I do. Until then, your moose photos are the next best thing!

Thanks for cleaning up the trail!
Karl

While I fully agree with you that flagging is not a valid bushwhacking navigation technique, and any flagging left behind after such use is littering, I usually won't remove flagging for 2 reasons.

First off, I don't know that there isn't someone still back in the woods who is planning on using that flagging to get out. I'm not willing to be the one who removes their safety net, and results in a missing person. 1 person leaving behind a trail of flagging has much less impact that 100 people tromping through the woods on a grid search trying to find them.

NewHampshire pretty much summed up the second reason:

NewHampshire said:

Even though you said it was in a Wilderness zone I would not necessarily point the finger at a peakbagger just yet. In my time off trail I have seen flagging up for any and all kinds of purpose. Sure there is situations I have come across where the only answer would be a "peakbagger". But I have seen flagging up that indicated that people have used flagging (legitimately) for:

Timber crusing/cutting
Appalachian Trail boundary marking
Marking a forest boundary (in this particular case it was marking the boundary of the Nash Stream Forest's Western edge)

So not knowing exactly the situation in which you found the flagging I won't say for sure that it was a peakbagger. As you said it was inside a wilderness zone so the above excuses would not be vaild, however there could still be any kind of possible excuse. Not that I am saying it WASN'T, just that there could be a different reason. It could also have been a hunter or fisherman...like I said, not going to just yet jump to the conclusion it was "one of us" (so to speak).

Click to expand...

As someone who has legitimately (legally) used flagging in the woods, and suffered the unfortunate consequences of having a do gooder undo a days worth of hard work, I agree with him 100%. I have since learned to at least label my flagging!

It is possible to discern between new and old flagging. The almost new may be a tad difficult to date accurately.

North of Montreal my fave where I roam the woods is flagging that leads to an illegal blind in a tree. Just tough luck if the perp is no longer able to see their way to the blind.

Neil said:

...the perp is no longer able to see their way to the blind.

Click to expand...

He may be blind, but does the perp stand for low hanging fruit ?

I agree with DSettahr. It's trash after it's done being used and should be cleared by the user, but I wouldn't want to be responsible for some knucklehead getting lost with no map or gps, or for ruining someones legit work.

EDIT: I'll add "Generally", as it does appear clear in this case it was left behind by a PeakBagger.

To DSettahr's point, flagging is also used legitimately by land managers for a number of reasons, including marking trail reroutes or new trails to be built. People placing legitimate flagging should label their work, as he mentioned. But I don't blindly pull flagging either, because I don't want to undo someone's legitimate work. (For a while, many years ago, the 46ers were advocating blind pulling of any flagging found in the Adirondack woods, but I think we have gotten beyond that.)

Is the flagging biodegradable? That would make a difference for me.

Flagging is sometimes used during SAR operations to mark grids for searches or to identify an off-trail route to a victim. Standard practice is to remove flagging on the way out. However sometimes bad weather or a change in circumstances make this impossible.
The pattern described here doesn't sound like a SAR operation.

Chip said:

I agree with DSettahr. It's trash after it's done being used and should be cleared by the user, but I wouldn't want to be responsible for some knucklehead getting lost with no map or gps, or for ruining someones legit work.

Click to expand...

As time goes by, I'm more in this camp too. I've seen too many instances of "legitimate" flagging by SAR units, research groups, landowners, etc to make assumptions.

And - if you're done lots of bushwhacking and are honest with ourselves - there have been times when a piece of tape has been a welcome sign that we're on a route - hopefully to the summit - especially if it's our first time to that particular peak. It may get a bit old after you've been up that peak many times, but if I'm honest with myself (and others) the first time up my first reaction to a piece of tape is relief - not disgust.

I once encountered lengthy pieces of flagging set only every 12' or so. One could easily see three or four flags in either direction. Even in the deep backcountry this was way more than anyone would ever need, but where was this, actually? Along the Hale firewarden's trail, from the switchbacks to the summit where there is a fully distinguished treadway and tree corridor.

I pulled them all out. Made a ball almost a foot in diameter when they were all smooshed together.

Sometimes it's pretty obvious that removal is not going to threaten anyone's ability to get back down.

MichaelJ said:

I once encountered lengthy pieces of flagging set only every 12' or so. One could easily see three or four flags in either direction. Even in the deep backcountry this was way more than anyone would ever need, but where was this, actually? Along the Hale firewarden's trail, from the switchbacks to the summit where there is a fully distinguished treadway and tree corridor.

I pulled them all out. Made a ball almost a foot in diameter when they were all smooshed together.

Sometimes it's pretty obvious that removal is not going to threaten anyone's ability to get back down.

Click to expand...

When flagging like this is on a trail, it's often being used to indicate where trail work needs to be done... with most trail work, a land manager will often visit the trail a week or so in advance, and flag out spots to put in water bars, bog bridges, etc. That way, when the trail crew shows up, they don't need to waste time figuring out where the work needs to be done. I know that the Adirondack Mountain Club's professional crew has had problems with people pulling their flagging in between the initial site visit and when the trail crew arrives... and they do label their flagging!

DSettahr said:

When flagging like this is on a trail, it's often being used to indicate where trail work needs to be done... with most trail work, a land manager will often visit the trail a week or so in advance, and flag out spots to put in water bars, bog bridges, etc. That way, when the trail crew shows up, they don't need to waste time figuring out where the work needs to be done. I know that the Adirondack Mountain Club's professional crew has had problems with people pulling their flagging in between the initial site visit and when the trail crew arrives... and they do label their flagging!

Click to expand...

We (MichaelJ and I)found and removed that flagging tape from the Firewarden's
Trail, an old no longer maintained path that's not listed in the current edition of the AMC Guide and no longer appears on maps. In fact, I don't knowing it was ever an official hiking trail-- maybe someone can answer that! ;-)

So - not there for trail work. I mention it because I think you live outside if New England??



Kevin Rooney -- I agree with you -- as much as I dislike flagrant flagging, I too have felt that sense of relief when I've seen a little piece of tape on a particularly nasty bushwack!!

una_dogger said:

We (MichaelJ and I)found and removed that flagging tape from the Firwarden's
Trail, an old no longer maintained path that's not listed in the current edition of the AMC Guide and no longer appears on maps.

So - not there for trail work. I mention it because I think you live outside if New England??

Click to expand...

Yep, I'm an Adirondacker! It wasn't clear in the post that it was an unmaintained trail...